Guardians (Seers Trilogy) (44 page)

I shook my head. Stabbing was stabbing. It hurt, end of story.

My brother lifted the knife, hesitated, then shoved it into my stomach, grasping my arm with his free hand to steady me when I jerked back. I gasped, flinching deeply, but I motioned with my head that I was fine. It had been a clean stroke, and in a place that would make the weapon easy to retrieve when the opportunity came.

I worked on moderating my breathing, trying to ignore the warm trickle of blood while Jack received his knife, and then Sean helped us both into the backseat and retook his place behind the wheel.

Hold on, Kate. Just a few more minutes.

Sean drove slowly up to the warehouse, easing next to the other vehicles sitting motionless near the double doors. Some I recognized, for they belonged to other Guardians and Seers. A couple matched the non-descript SUV I was currently in. They were black and belonged to the Demons. Kate’s car was on the end. The sight of it caused my heart rate to spike. I was close.

Sean shifted into park and shut off the car. He looked over his shoulder at us. “Wait to break free until you’re near the others,” he reminded us. “You’ll have to move fast. Leave the Demon Lord to me.”

“Right,” Jack grunted. “Easy.”

“I apologize for any pain I may be forced to inflict.”

“Sean, it’s really uncomfortable to talk right now,” I hissed. I could feel the blade shiver inside of me with every breath, every motion.

“Oh. Yes. Of course.” He opened his car door and exited the vehicle. I sucked in a ragged breath. This was it.

Sean swung the door open and grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the SUV. Then he reached in and dragged Jack out as well. He gripped our elbows, standing firmly between us as he herded us toward the warehouse doors.

I hadn’t seen anyone yet, but it was obvious my brother thought we would soon. His grip tightened brutally as we stepped inside, and I had to beat back my first true wave of doubt. Could I really trust him?

I didn’t exactly have a choice. I tried to focus on the trust Jenna had for Sean.

We stepped onto the cavernous main floor of the warehouse. It was amazing how cold the building felt, though it was still hot outside. Just knowing the evil things that had happened here, the devils that hid inside these rooms . . . It didn’t feel like home anymore. It felt like death.

Our shoes scuffed the old factory floor and Jack had bowed his head. I thought he might be praying, but then I realized he was trying to look defeated. I attempted to follow his example, but my eyes kept darting around.

Sean’s body grew abruptly stiff. I soon understood why.

“Far Darrig, you’ve outdone yourself!”

I glanced up, catching sight of Selena Avalos poised on the staircase, waiting for us. She was beautiful, as always. But it was a cold beauty. An empty beauty. She was dressed expensively, as usual, her outfit over the top for daylight hours. This was the first time I’d seen her wear an evening gown of black. Her stiletto heels just peeked out under the folds of her dress, and her hair framed her perfectly sculpted face with an undeniable grace.

I frowned at the sight of her, my eyes burning with anger. Lee’s murderer. I wanted to kill her myself, but once Toni was free, I doubted I’d get the chance.

“Is the master upstairs?” Sean asked, his voice smooth and dark.

The sound made me want to shiver, and I know I winced—but that could be dismissed by the knife embedded inside me. He sounded just like
Fear Dearg
.

Selena was smiling at him. “Yes. He’s in pretty good sorts, though we’ve lost a couple Seers since you left.”

My stomach clenched, and with the blade stuck inside me the sensation was more agonizing than usual.
It won’t be Kate. It can’t be Kate. Sean promised . . .

Sean pulled us up the steps, and once we reached Selena she grabbed Jack’s arm, hauling him closer. “Hmm . . . have we met?”

Jack chuckled weakly. “Once, but it was long ago. If it helps, my desire to kill you has only increased.”

Her eyes sparkled happily. She fingered the knife handle, grinning when Jack sucked in a painful breath. “Oh, I hope you’re not susceptible to the virus. Then the Demon Lord might let me keep you. You remind me of Antonio, but in a more . . . old-fashioned sort of way. I love your accent,” she added sweetly. “I just
adore
Australian accents.”

Needless to say, no one replied.

We stopped at the second floor. Selena and Jack led the way to our closed living room door, her heels clicking aggressively against the cement at every step. She twisted the knob and pushed the door open, Sean and me right behind her.

My eyes flashed over the scene, trying to gauge the situation with military precision. I saw Viktor Dmitriev first because he was the tallest and most dangerous-looking figure in the room. He was standing near the Demon Lord, who of course was the most impressive person in the room. He was smiling at me, but there was something unhappy about his face. As if things hadn’t gone entirely according to plan.

Good. Anything that made him unhappy had to be a good thing.

At his other arm stood Mei Li, her single braid almost as straight as she was. Her beady eyes were watching me closely, sensing my hatred for her beloved master.

I saw Claire next, but only because Selena was pushing Jack in her direction. Claire was tied to a chair with thin rope, a couple knives stuck in her body, keeping her docile. Her head was bowed, but it was lifting. She looked completely defeated when she saw me, but there was more than simple sadness there. She was looking at me with . . . pity?

Sean’s fingernails were suddenly digging into my skin. I winced, and then—my head still lowered in what I hoped looked like submission—I peeked at my brother. He was staring somewhere past me, his mouth a firm line, his nostrils silently flaring.

Almost frightened now, I followed his gaze. I saw Lee’s body on the floor, her wide pink skirt lying over her twisted legs. I thought I was prepared to see her, after being warned of her death, but I wasn’t. The blood, the stillness. No amount of warning could have prepared me for that. She’d been so full of life and energy—one of the most alive people I’d ever met.

What would I say to Kate? How would I console her? She’d lost so much—losing her best friend wasn’t fair. My heart burned. Near Lee’s hand I saw a worn shoe twitch. I followed the motion, finally finding myself staring at Toni, my long-time partner and greatest friend.

He looked horrible. I’d never seen him so despaired and empty. He’d been beaten badly, though only the blood covering him remained for evidence. His body had healed the minor injuries, leaving only the wounds that were still being penetrated. He had two daggers sticking out of him, and I hoped I would be fast enough to break my bonds, rip out my own knife, and free him before I could be stopped.

And then—as if fate could not keep me from the sight any longer—I saw Kate.

I don’t know how I’d missed her until now. She was the one Claire had been thinking of when she saw me. She was the one Sean had been looking at, silently seething. But even putting that together, I didn’t understand their emotions: their regret, their pity. Not yet.

She was leaning on Toni. Her hair had fallen across her face in a sheet, blocking her eyes from mine. I looked at her hungrily, trying to take in the reality that I was here, with her. She was real. I could touch her. I could hold her and shield her from these monsters. At last. I was where I belonged—at her side.

I wanted her to lift her head; I yearned for her to look up at me.

She stayed as she was.

That’s when I realized she wasn’t moving at all. Not even breathing.

And all the blood on her . . . it hadn’t come from leaning solely against Toni.

Now that I was forcing myself to take in the details, I realized she looked exactly as I’d seen her that haunting night so long ago. Her body riddled with bullet holes, leaving no chance for life. She’d already done it. She’d gone back. The truth was written clearly in Toni’s eyes, now that I knew what to look for.

Kate was dead.

The dagger in my stomach? That pain was nothing now.

The Demon Lord’s mocking sigh filled the room. “I know. Disappointing, isn’t it, Patrick? I had hoped she would be the last to go, but . . . sacrifices must be made. I suppose I’ll survive a bit of disappointment.”

I didn’t react to his words. I couldn’t. Inside, I was screaming. Inside, I was dying.

The Demon Lord looked to Sean. “Where is Yuri?”

“With the girls,” Sean said. His voice sounded dry. “I left them in the car. Their screams were annoying.”

The Demon Lord chuckled lowly. “You’re not exactly a child lover, are you, Far Darrig? And that new Seer you found me is also with Yuri?”

Sean’s head jerked in the affirmative.

“Excellent.” The Demon Lord stepped up to me, Mei Li at his side. He was smiling. “Well, Patrick, you’ve looked better. I was hoping to see one final reunion between you and Kate, but . . .” His smile widened when my head lurched up at the sound of his voice flippantly forming her name. “Well, she wasn’t exactly cooperating,” he finished pleasantly.

I couldn’t speak. I wanted to. I wanted to curse him, rail him, rip him apart. But I couldn’t. I was too angry, too shocked. Her death didn’t seem real. None of this did.

The Demon Lord held out a hand in front of Mei Li, palm up, and she was quick to place a small knife there. He gripped the handle and then grabbed a fistful of my hair, jerking my head up so our eyes met. He was breathing heavily, though my chest was heaving faster. “The Guardians are going to lose this war, you know,” he said to me coolly. “You’re not all immune to the virus, and the Demons outnumber you. But you, Patrick, aren’t going to see the end of the war. Far Darrig is going to administer the virus, and you will die. The Bennett twins are mine now.” He tipped his head closer. “I don’t think Kate would be impressed with your Guardian skills. Do you?”

My lower lip curled in derision. Blood pounded in my ears. I couldn’t see well. Why couldn’t I see well? Why was everything blurry?

He plunged the knife into my left shoulder without warning. I howled, but not just from the pain of his knife. It had only caused a fraction of the agony I was feeling.

Sean’s grip on me trembled—he was shaking behind me.

“
That
,” the Demon Lord hissed in my face, his breath stinging my skin, “is for all the trouble you’ve caused me.” He plucked the knife back out and I shuddered at its release. “And
this
,” he said, thrusting the blade into my right side just above my hip and driving it in up to the hilt. I heard a harsh cry. I thought it was Sean—then I realized it came from me. “
This
,” he repeated with an additional shove, “is for my own amusement. Guardians may be immortal, but not immune to suffering. And you should suffer.
All
of you. You’re not superior.” He left the knife in my side and took a step back, releasing his hold on my hair. He slapped my face lightly, trying to get me to look at him. “All of the Guardians deserve this pain. And that’s what I’ll give them. That’s what I’ve promised all the Demons who follow me: satisfaction.” He tossed a look over my shoulder, past Sean. “Antonio over there was good enough to take a good measure of abuse, but I think it’s your turn. And I think Far Darrig should be allowed to go first.”

He took a step back and Mei Li offered a knife to Sean. I closed my eyes tightly, knowing he couldn’t falter. We didn’t know where the other Seers were. We couldn’t act yet. The only mortals in here were dead.

Kate . . .

I gasped in anguish as Sean stabbed me in the back.

“How does it feel?” The Demon Lord’s voice seemed distant, unfocused.

Sean’s deep voice surrounded me. “Good,” he replied.

Had he betrayed me? Had he known Kate was dead all along? Had
he
murdered her?

My vision was clearing, and some semblance of reason returned. My loosely bound fingers could feel the knife’s handle. He’d jabbed the knife into me, because he’d had to. But he’d placed it strategically. Sean was on my side. He was sticking to the plan. That’s what I needed to do—follow the plan. It was the only way to avenge Kate’s death. I could worry about how I’d deal with her loss after her murderers were dead.

The Demon Lord turned his back on us, walking toward the couch. “I’m glad. You’ll have time for more soon enough. We all will. Now, why don’t you offer Patrick a seat? I believe I know where he might like to be just now . . .”

Without Sean lifting all my weight I wouldn’t have been able to move. He levered me forward and I stumbled blindly in the direction I was being pushed, almost tripping over my own dead feet.

Sean shoved me to the floor and I fell against Kate’s exposed side, my hands pinched painfully by the wall. I cried out when I hit into her, because her lifeless body started to fall and I was helpless to stop it. Her head slipped off Toni’s shoulder, her whole body slumping until she was half lying in Toni’s shaking lap, her face turned away from me.

I almost ripped my hands free and ruined the plan—would have, if I wasn’t so close to the wall that my movements were restricted. Her leg was stiff next to mine, telling me she’d been dead for a while now. An hour? More?

These Demons from hell hadn’t even bothered to lay her body on the floor, let alone cover her up.

I was too shocked to cry. I was too deadened to do anything but stare at her.

Kate was dead.

We’d failed.

Most important, I had failed
her
. I never should have left her. This never should have happened.

The Demon Lord was speaking, though I hardly heard the words. “We’re done here. The young Seer—what was his name?”

“Hanif,” Selena supplied.

“Yes. Takao—go extend him a last invitation. If he refuses, kill him. Better yet, have Selena’s Seer take care of it.”

She grinned. “Thank you, my lord. This is just the sort of thing he needs.”

Takao bowed to his master and swept from the room to follow his orders.

Jack spoke suddenly, taking advantage of the silence. His voice was strained, and the knife inside him quivered. “What about Dr. Radcliffe? Where is he?”